Circuit-breaker.



A. D. T. LIBBY. UIRGUIT BREAKER.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 17, 1904.

Patented Mar. 5,-1912.

lav/f operation.

UNITED STATES ALBIGN'D. T. LIKE Y, OF ELYRIA, OHIO,

SUPPLY COMPANY, OF cmceeo, ILLINOIS, .A CORIQRATIOQI OFiT-IIiLlNOiS."

CIRCUIT-BREAKER. v 1,019,QGO. Specification otllllettersjlatent.PatenfedwMii -5 1912;.

Application filed December 17,1904. Serial No.'237,,23i p To all whom itmay concern." I circuit the movable reed into Be it known that I, ALBIOND. T.' Liner, a citizen of the United States, residing in Elyria, countyof Lorain, and Sta-to of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvcment-s in Circuit- Breakers, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to a circuit breaker and particularly to a deviceof this class, which is adapted for opening a circuit whene'\-'Qr'a...currentof the reverse direction from that desired flowsthrough the'samennd whenev r'an' underloador an overload current" traverses thecircuit.

One objectof my invention-is to provide a v simple and inexpensive pieceof apparatus of this type'and which shall be efficient in In itspreferred form I prises a permanent horseshoe magnet pro;

vided with a pivoted coil carryingia brush'a'tits free end which isadapted'iii its closed position to make contactwith the other brush thatis supported upon butinsulated from one leg of the magnet. The poledeveloped at the free 'end of the coil by the current flowing throughthe coil will cause said end to be attracted or repelled as the case maybe. The permanent magnet .isi-prefera-bly supported in the verticalplane upon :any suitable base so that when the'current flowing in thepivoted coil ceases or falls belowa certain amount the weight of thepivoted coil causes its free end to drop, thereby ca r- .rying its brushavay from the cooperating brush and opening the circuit. In case thecurrent flowing through the movable coil is reversed in direction fromthat intended to Flow thercthrough, the said coil'is also mtwed into itsopen pi'rsition thercoyopening the circuit and preventing injury to anyappara- 1'. us tha may he in it hysuch reverse current.

As a. further improvement I provide the reverse current and. nnderlcaddeviceso far described with an overload attachment consisting preferablyof a solenoid so. arranged; that when an overload ourrent flovvs'overthe my invention coin 'base upon which-the varions f parts,jo f.the.in6'0 manent magnet 3 of the'hprs' shoeitype sup- -.g I I ported 'a'tfaslight distance from thefaceofq the base plate by the pre ferablycopper-S washers or nuts 4 and clamped inplace .by:.*

the copper .o'r bras's' screws 5 iftssing:through the'platje 2, thecoppenavas ers or. nuts 4;; and tapping into the permanent magnetat; thecenter and near theends of the two legs as indicated in Figs. 1 a-nd.2The coil :6- fs supportedloetween the legs of; the permanent magnet ,3upona suitable soft iron core; 7, the rear end 'of wvhichis pivoted inthe slotted head 8 of a. b6lt-,-ex.tending' through (the permanent,magnt; -,and which receivesa nut 9'upon itsput-eej'endu '1-Up on I theforward end of the core ant iron -platelll is secured in any desiredYinannemand forms the pole of the magnet. 'Eqtheout'er side of 5 thisplaten) the lower brush l2 of the "switch-- is secured by an end13.extendingtatright, 4

anglesacross the end'ofthe coiL-and upon the outerside ofwhichisacopplerblock lat,-

which is clamped to the blockglflibyflmeans of screws 15 passing throughsaid block the ,end 13 of the brush andgtapping into the I plate 10.These screws .are insulated from I the block l i and theplate 1-3 hymcans of insulat-ing bushings 16 and an insulating plate 17 placedbetween the plates l0 and-113. A-lhandle 18 of insulating materialis:threa'ded f into the outer edgeofthefplate-LO hy means ofv which theswitch. may be. readily opened,

' and closed; A -oindin'g; screw-1 threaded-rite side of said leg.

the edge of the block 14: and incrts an aperture 20 into whieh one endof the Wind? ing of coil 6 projectsend is engaged bythe' screw 19,thereby electrically connecting the brush 12 with the coil 6. The upperbrush suitably insulated from the leaf brush, ex-

tends throu h the said brush and engages the end of t e upper leg of thepermanent magnet. By means of this screw the tension of the said upperbrush may be adjusted to any desired degree to cause the opening of thecircuit at any desired current within the limits of the device. A copperrod 24 is soldered or otherwise mechanically and electrically secured'tothe upper brush 21 and is bent toward the rear and extends through thebase to provide means for readily securing the conductor of the electriccircuit thereto. Nuts 25 and 26 are threaded upon said rod 24 upon eachside of the base to hold it rigidly in position. Additionai nuts 27serve as a means forclamping the wire of falls by the circuit thereto. Asimilar terminal 28 is located near the ivot of the coil and isconnected by a flexible conductor 29 with the inner end. of the windingof said coil.

Assuming the circuit conductors to be connected with the terminals 24and 28 it is oben the movable coil 6 is raised 18 to its upper positionthe late between the brushes 21 H said coil is in circuit there- Now i fthe current is of sufiicient with. strength and is of the properdirection the plate 10 or poleof the same is attracted to the upper legof the ermanent magnet and thecircuit remains c osed. In case thecurrent falls below the amount necessary to at-" tract said magnet toits upper position it ravity into its lower position and circuit isopened. Likewise if the current is reversed so that a pole is developed5 at the free end of the coil 6 of the same character as that at the endof the upper leg of the magnet said coil will be repelled and thecircuit will be opened. Also in case mistake has been made in connectingthe primary leads to the circuit as sometimes occurs in charging storagebatteries, it will beimpossible to maintain the circuit closed when thehandle 18 is released, thereby saving. the storage batteries frominjury.

As a further feature of the invention I provide the solenoid 30supported at its ends u on the base 2 by the p ates 31 and 32, w

An adjusting screw 22,-

ieh are secured to the base by the screws.

34. The core of the solenoid convsists of a copper tube 35 having anenlarged bore throughout the coil in which the movable plunger 36 freelyreciprocates and which is furnished with a screw threading into itslower end and provided with an en larged head 37 at its lower end toprovide a stop for the same when it is drawn up into the coil and whichnormally rests u on an "djusting screw stop 38 carried 1n the gracket 39secured to the plate 32. In the upper end of the tube 35 a secondplunger 40 is similarly mounted, its lower end being providedwith a head41 which acts as a stop for itsupyjvard movement when it is struck andlifted b the plunger 36, its upper end to engage the handle 18 of thecoil 6 when in its upper position, whereby when'the solenoid isenergized and theplunger is lifted the. head 42 of the plunger 40engages the inner end. of lever 43 to depress its outer end and therebyto depress the handle 18 of the coil 6, and separate the brushes 12 and21-to open the circuit of the device. It is thus seen that theinstrument as a whole protects the circuit against overload, underloadand reverse currents.

The te'iuninal 28 or binding post is connected by .conductor 45 with oneend of the' -w1nding of thesolenoid while the opposite end connects byconductor 46 with a similar connector or post 47 covered by the base.

I Fig. 3 indicates the electric circuit of the device as a whole, thesame being traceable from-the upper post 24; through brushes 21 and 12,and thencethrough coilsG and'30 to the post 47.

. It will be apparent from the foregoing that the device is simple andinexpensive and that it must be efiiclent in operation.

While but one form of the device has been described .it is apparent thatit may be embodied in other forms and that various changes andalterations may be made therein without-departing from the scope andprinciple of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a single series electric circuitfor the device, a pair of cotiperating contacts in series in saidcircuit, an over-load coil in said circuit, and a combined under-loadand reverse current coil in said circuit, means cooperating with saidunder-load coil to hold said contacts closed, and means controlled bysaid coils to circuit, of a pair of series electromagnetic windings, apermanent magnet and one of said windings coiiperating to hold saidcontact closed, said permanent magnet and mechanical means operated bysaid windings cooperating to open said pair of contacts in case of anunder-load, over load or reverse currentin the circuit thereof,substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with .a horseshoemagnet, of a pivoted coil having its free pole bet-ween,the poles of themagnet, said magnet completing the magnetic circuit of the coil, aswitch contact carried by the free end of the coil and cooperating withanother spring contact to open and close the circuit through the coil,whereby the free pole of said coil is repelled and the switch s openedwhen the current in the circuit wntrolled by the switch is in a reversedirection or whereby the said. free pole is repelled by said springcontact when the said current decreases from the normal value,substantially as described. e

l. In a device of the class described, the combination with a permanenthorse-shoe magnet, of a pivoted electrdmagnet having its free endbetween thepoles of the permanent magnet and adapted to be eitherattracted or repelled by one pole of said magnet, a switch contactmovable with the electromagnet, a second contact coiiperating therewithto close the circuit through the coil, whereby the free pole of saidcoil is repelled. by the permanent magnet and the switch is opened whenthe current in the circuit controlled by the switch varies below thenormal or flows in a reverse direction, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a switch, ofa permanent magnet, a release magnet having its coil in. the circuit ofthe switch, one end of the coil being attached to the neutral portion oithe permanent magnet and the other end being movable between the polesof said permanent magnet and controlling in its movement the opening andclosing of said switch,

' substantially as described.

6. in a device of the class described, the combination with a permanentmagnet, of a movable coil having one end adjacent a pole of thepermanent magnet, a switch contact carried by the movable coil, acoeperat ing stationary contact, said .coil being-Hincluded in thecircuit of the switch, whereby the coil is released or repelled andthesw' e is opened when'the current inithecoil falls below the normalvalue .or is reversed, ,and.

a second magnet also in the circuitofthe' switch and arranged to. opensaidsw t'ch when the current rises above the' normal value,substantially as described.

7. In a circuit breaker, the combination switch in the circuit of saidcoils, a permanent magnet cooperating with one of said coils to holdsaid switch closed, said switch being adapted to be opened by under-loadcurrent or reverse current in said coil, and means whereby an over-loadcurrent in the other coil will also'open said switch, substantially asdescribed.

8. In a circuit breaker, the combination with a single pair of coilsconnected in. series, of a switch in the circuit of said coils, apermanent magnet cooperating with one of said coils to closesaid switch,means associated with the other one of said coils for opening saidswitch when the current therein becomes greater-than a pre-deter1ninedvalue, and means associated with the first coil for opening said switchwhen the current therein becomes less than a pro-deter; mined value,saidlatter means also serving for opening said switch when the currentin the latter coil reverses its direction, substantially as described.

9. In a circuit-breaker, the co nation with a movable coil, of astation; 1/ coil connected in series therewith, a switch in'the circuitof both of said coils controlled bythe movement of said movable coil, aplunger as a core for said stationary coil, said "plunger being adaptedto move said movable coil to aid in the control of said switch,substantially as described.

10. In an automatic switch, a single pair .01 separable cocperativecontacts, a series circuit, a controlling means for said contactscomprising an over-load coil. in said circuit, and controlling means forsaid contacts comprising an under-dead coil included in said circuit,and a permanent magnet 00- operative with said under-dead coil in itscontrol of said contacts substantially as deder-load coil and permanentmagnet, and a series circuit including said coils and said contacts,whereby said coils are. energized to cause cooperation between saidcontacts, substantially as describe with a pair of coils connected inseries, of a by the movement of said movable armature,

a plunger as a core for said second coil, said plungerbemg adapted tomove sald armature to aid in the control of said switch, substantiallyas described.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name in the presence of twoWitnesses. ALBION D. T. LIBBY.,

Witnesses:

WILL VAN MIDDLESMITH, ROBERT LEWIS AMES.

